


Song of War

by one_starry_knight



Series: War Stories [2]
Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-20 20:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16144892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_starry_knight/pseuds/one_starry_knight
Summary: Songs tell a story. Their meaning can often incite powerful emotions in those who hear them. For Jecra, one particular song carries quite a bit of weight.





	Song of War

Jecra sings softly to himself as he works on cleaning the blood and dirt off of his shield. It’s been a busy day, with there being at least seven different raids in the span of only a few hours. He silently hopes to get some rest, if the others will allow it. First, however, he’s decided to clean his shield. He likes to see it shine in the light of the campfire, so he carefully wipes it off with a spare cloth. He isn’t really paying attention to the lyrics coming from his mouth; he simply lets the melody of an old, old song carry his words to everyone else in the camp.

Meta Knight observes his friend carefully, watching him gently sway to his own rhythm. He seems lost in his own world, his eyes locked carefully onto the shield he’s cleaning, but not really seeing. For the briefest of moments, Meta knows what peace looks like.

Pulling his eyes away from his friend, he turns his attention to the ground and frowns. He’s listening to the song, but not truly hearing it. It dawns on him that he doesn’t understand the words, for they aren’t in a language he knows. They sound like Elven, the language of Jecra’s home planet, but far more… Ancient, like something older than any person in the camp, older than even the war perhaps. He listens a minute longer to be sure that he truly can’t understand the words. Yes, certainly this isn’t standard Elven. 

“Hey,” the blue haired knight glances over at his friend with a tilt of his head. “What's that song you keep singing? I’ve heard you sing it before, but I suppose I didn’t listen well then. It sounds… Old.”

Jecra is pulled back into reality as he’s spoken to, turning his gaze onto his friend, then to everyone else in the camp, who’re all gathered near the fire as well. They’re all looking intently on to see what the Elven man has to say, to see what his answer will be.

“Oh, that…” He hesitates, leaning on his shield as he turns back to his blue haired friend, “...It’s a war anthem.”

The rest of the camp leans in, eyes filled with interest. Meta Knight himself is now interested, moreso than before. A war anthem? As far as he knows, Jecra’s people have never gone to war, at least not with each other. Whether they went to war with people outside their own planet, Meta isn’t sure.

Jecra continues, “When I was young, I used to hear the soldiers sing it every time they passed through my village. They were always on their way to fight whatever monster Nightmare had just sent. Most of them… Didn’t make the return trip. So, they picked up an old song from long, long before their time and turned it into a rallying cry. It was their own special war song; a promise that if they didn't come back from battle, it was because they fell fighting for what's right. Something about that stuck with me. I’ve never forgotten that song and I never will.”

Now the crowd around the campfire is entranced in Jecra’s story, their minds filling with questions about the meaning of the song. Meta Knight takes a deep breath as he thinks over his friend’s words. It’s a shame, truly, that nowhere is left untouched by Nightmare’s evil. Jecra has mentioned to him before that Nightmare stations monsters all over the planet and abducts citizens to transform into monsters. He knows this and yet it still shocks him to hear about the atrocities taking place there.

“Does it translate?” The blue haired knight inquires, trying to meet the distant eyes of his blond friend. Jecra gazes upward, thinking for a moment before speaking in a low tone, “Roughly… It’s _If I Die in Battle_ …”

The crowd hushes, their eyes locking onto the Elven knight.

“The lyrics say, ‘If I die in battle, find dark blood upon my steel. If I die in battle, tell them I stood and never kneeled. If I die in battle, my soul will be saved and gone. I won’t die in battle; I’ll fly north with six winds blowing as one.”

There is silence for what feels like an eternity. Jecra has returned to simply gazing distantly at his own reflection in his shield, unsure of what to say now. He thinks for a moment and, sighing deeply, he sets his shield down to glance at the crowd, who are all deep in their own thoughts.

“And!” Jecra chirps, clapping his hands together to draw attention back to himself. A grin spreads across his face as the others look over to him expectantly. He begins to motion dramatically, jumping to his feet and pounding his chest with his fist, “I took those words to heart! If I die in battle, tell them I stood and never kneeled!” The crowd perks back up, as sorrowful murmurs turn into shouts of agreement. Jecra loves hamming it up to get a laugh out of others, but behind his extravagance there’s truth to his statement. If he is to fall in battle, he hopes the others will speak highly of how he only ever fought for what’s right. And someday, he hopes that will be his legacy.

Meta blinks at his long eared friend, a bit startled at the sudden shift in mood. But, that’s Jecra for you. He’s the light in darkness with his optimistic outlook on everything and his near constant cheerful attitude.

The Elven man sets himself back on the ground, smiling contently at the now more positive crowd around him. Reaching over and putting a hand on Jecra’s shoulder, Meta laughs lightly, sighing, “Sometimes, I think you’re _too_ noble.”


End file.
